Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

In 1977 we were out there again. According to the BLM, not enough people to violate the rules and regulations. Of course you know what happened in 1978 and this year. In 1978 when they took me to coun, by the way, there had been no violation of the law. They took me to coun on the premise that a law might be violated. Have you ever had thoughts about or come to auy conchuioas about why it mushroomed from 1977 to I978? 22 Louis McKey: 1 know definitely why it did. The BLM advertising is what actually did it. Every year I had been writing letters under the name Phantom Duck to Congressmen and Senaton and people like this telling them about the problems we were having. I never received any reaction at all. I did that again in 1978, but in 1978 I added a little extra. I added an extra list of copies to, a list of all tbe names of other people wbo were receiving copies of tbat letter. I thought that might agitate some of them into doing something. It did. When the BLM decided to take action, it staned putting news releases out to the 420 people on their news media mailing list. They did more advertising in a couple .of months than I could have done in a lifetime. They actually created the number of people that sbowed up for 1978. Otherwise, those people wouldn't have known about it. A I Fots: It's not just the knowins part either. It's also tbe idea that they're saying, "You can't go." That's what they did in 1978. They said, "You can', go to the desen." They created the iron·hand type principle and people were agitated. We said, "You can't just stop us from going." That's panofit. Like you said, it mushroomed big from 1977 to 1978 - What can you attribute tbat to? Other than the people who were already angry anyway over loss of races. You know how that's gone in the last five years. So they're already angry and they come up and say, "Well, now you can't even go out there and trail ride from Barstow to Vegas." The people laughed. It wasn't promotion from any private individual. Also 1979 kind of depicts the same thing. In other words, there was no promotion this year. People are just angry; they're upset. It is a grassroots type movement. Louis McKey: They're frustrated and they want to protest against the BLM actions, or inaction and they feel that riding Barstow to Vegas is a symbol of protest. A lot of people feel compelled to do it. There~s a genuine need to protest against the BLM actions. What about other protaU over BLM actions? Louis McKey: Thanksgiving weekend will reflect any protest that the people want to make and I say that for a couple of reasons. One is that when the Check Chase was cancelled, I heard it stated to a large group of motorcyclists that the Check Chase race course was completely ribboned at the request of the BLM so that they could go out and check it over. People could have protested by riding that Check Chase race course, which was completely ribboned, and yet most of them who were interested in protesting said, "We have one protest; we don't need two. We have one protest, and that's Barstow to Vegas." The Barstow to Vegas is the, according to the Sierra Club's OR V MOfU~OT Rose Bowl of motorcycling (that's what they called it) and that's what we're fighting for. When we get to the Rose Bowl, we'll won. on another one. But that's the one to go for now. I think that's the one that the people will continue to protest over until they get it. QUACK I QUACK! POl'IJlARITY CONTEST Send your choice to "The Phantom Duel< of the 0-.:' General DoIivwY. _ . CA 92342. WoIIio Duel<. MX Veo U ShlkeGr_~MC NoD TrllhA._ng~~MC NoD Nowrit..... ~~I~I~IQuock! w_.o-. Al Fots: Although we did walk with picket signs one day. Four or five of us walking in the rain outside of the Desert Advisory Counci.l meeting. We got lots of neat comments there from irate minen. There's a whole bunch of people upset with 'the BLM management, of course, but I think it's important that they know that we're (When I say "we" I mean motorcyclists in general) around. Any action that someone's unhappy with should be protested. Legally. of course. , . Louis McKey: Just the fact that people are fighting for the ript to ride from Barstow to Vegas has had an effect on the BLM. When there was enougb reaction, the BLM said, "Well, I guesa we have to do something" and they did. They only did under presaure. There's also another avenue which I'm sure the BLM fean, and that is that their actions are subject to congressional investigation. If they don't act responsibly towards all of the interests equally, then I'm sure that '?'I'~e's going to call for a congres51onal investigation. I believe if that were done, the BLM wouIdn't'come out looking very well. h was a suggestion - actually from George Stephan, our attorney - that the only way tQ go now is for a congressional investigation. He was extremely upset with the AMA for giving the BLM $5,000 for that base· line monitoring program when we had secured a coun order ordering the BLM to make that baseline monitoring study. Then the AMA gave the BLM $5,000. Like George said, had the AMA given us the $5,000, that would have paid his air fare and expenses for a week to petition congressmen for a congresion· al investigation of the BLM. He feels that the congressional investigation would cause repercussions. Even the threat of one would cause the BLM to change their attitudes, change their stance, and he seems to think that that's the way to go. GGing back to what was .id about ......... the Deed to protat. Mary, I'd like you to tell III the ICIOry , . . told me Jut year about LoaU aDd the Bank of America. Mary McKey: We had some checks stolen. We reponed it to the police depanment and to the bank wlaere they had been s~olen, .and I fi~ed the affidavit and a statement wah the police depanment and they said it would all be taken care of. But they cashed one of the checks that had been stolen and forged. A couple of mouths later I get my bank statement back and here is this $45 check they cashed, in with my cancelled checks. They put it through and took it out of my account. I showed it to Lou and he went down and asked to see the manager and they said he wasn't there, and couldn't do anything about it. He was working swing shift. He dashed home and rummaged in the garage, got a piece of card~ard and a stake out and staned making a sign. I said, "What are you doing?" He said, ''I'm going down and walk picket in front of the Bank of America. h's illegal what they did." He called the police depanment and found out just where he could walk, legally, and made up the sign and put it in the back of the Nova and drove down there and unloaded the sign and staned marching up and down on the legal amount of feet he had to march. Pretty soon the United Parcel m~n joined him and two little old ladies who were willing to protest. They staned marching up and down. Finally somebody came out and asked him what he wanted. He told them all he really waDled was to see the manager to find out why they would put this cbeck through our aCCOUDt. The manager came out and asked him if he'd stop and talk to him. He said, "No. If you want to talk to me, youll have to walk. I'm DOl allowed to stop walking." So the manap falls in ~e with him and YaIb aloDg. He told him he wanted his $45 back in a certified check. The bank manager walked along with him a little bit and talked, and pretty SOOIl the bank ma~r went In, and tben came back out With a eenified check for $45 and gave it to him. He picked up his sign, jumped in the car and came home and gave me the $45 certified check and told me to go back to the bank and re-deposit it. I didn't want to walk back in tbe bank and re-deposit the $45, but I did. LOtiis McKey: Most of the bank tellers know who I am. After we went into court, I took a check down to the bank - actually I had Mary take it down it was made out to the Phantom Duck of the Desen, and the bank wouldn't cash it. I took the check down to the bank and the teller wouldn't cash it. I said, "That's good. May I have your name (CtnIlmued to J1tIp 24)

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